Winter storm blasts U.S. Midwest, sets sights on Ontario

Blizzard blasts parts of USParts of the southern and mid US get battered with winter blizzard. Julie Noce reports.

Southern Ontario is currently in the sights of a major winter storm sweeping through the U.S. Midwest, which has already driven blizzard conditions across the Texas Panhandle to northern Kansas and Missouri, and has blasted eastern Texas and Oklahoma with powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes that are currently moving across the U.S. Southeast.

The northern edge of this storm is expected to push into southwestern Ontario this evening, bringing rain to start, which will likely switch over to freezing rain and then snow fairly soon after, as the temperature drops below freezing. The precipitation may miss the evening commute, but the freezing rain and snow should produce hazardous driving conditions tonight, and for tomorrow morning's commute, as between 10 and 15 cm of snow is expected to fall by first light. If the temperature drops more quickly than expected, snowfall amounts could increase to 15-20 cm, however they should remain lower near Lake Ontario, due to its warming influence.

As of 11:05 a.m. today, Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings from the eastern shores of Lake Huron across central-southwestern Ontario and through the Greater Toronto Area, calling for residents of those areas to "be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions."

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